Sony's Sequels: Announcing The New Cyber-shot RX100 II & RX1R Cameras

Update (Jul 1, 2013): The Cyber-shot RX1R and Cyber-shot RX100 II are priced at S$3,999 and S$999 respectively, and will be available at Sony stores and authorized outlets from August 2013 onwards. Starting 1 Jul, the Cyber-shot RX100 will retail at a reduced price of S$849 (originally S$999).

It's the summer season for sequels, as Sony shows two rejuvenated premium cameras to its Cyber-shot selection.

First up is the Cyber-shot RX1R full-frame premium compact camera, a sideways alternative to the RX1 full-frame premium compact camera which was announced late last year - both cameras now can share the distinction of being the smallest digital full-frame cameras in the world.

If you've already paid the eye-watering S$3999 for the RX1 though, you can fret not - the RX1R is identical in every way to the RX1, except that the RX1R has no optical low-pass filter, which promises to net you images with more fine detail but at the risk of moire artifacts. No news however as to if the dismal low-battery life of the original has been improved, to which we think no news means no change.

The new Cyber-shot RX1R will be available in our region in mid-July 2013, DP Review pegs the price at US$2,800 which was the same as the RX1, the one with the optical low-pass filter will continue to be sold alongside the one without.

The second sequel coming this summer is the RX100 II, which has more differences to it compared to its predecessor the RX100, a camera announced a year ago. The RX100 II has a new 1", 20.2MP backside-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, built-in Wi-Fi with NFC, a new multi-interface shoe and multi-terminal for accessories, a 3" tilting LCD, Full-HD 24/25p movie shooting capability and Sony's TriLuminos color display technology coming from the Bravia line of televisions.

The RX100 is quite possibly the best compact camera you can get today, if also one of the most expensive, look for the sequel in mid-July 2013. The Verge says the RX100 II will drop at US$750, US$100 more than the RX100.